Cross reference is made to copending U.S. utility patent application Ser. No. 10/002045, entitled xe2x80x9cBone Cement Mixing Apparatus having Improved Gearing Arrangement for Driving a Mixing Bladexe2x80x9d by Timothy G. Vendrely, Jack F. Long, Christopher Battles, Paul DeCesare, Patrick Gutelius, and Sam Sackett which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention and which is filed concurrently herewith. The disclosure of the above-identified utility patent application is hereby totally incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates generally to a surgical assembly, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for mixing bone cement.
It is necessary in many orthopedic surgical procedures to employ a cement or grouting type agent, such as for attaching artificial joint implants, repairing or forming joints in bones, or other forms of orthopedic work. The type of cement generally used for these purposes is a self-curing resin formed from the blending of a wide variety of liquid monomers or comonomers with powdered polymers or copolymers to form a viscous admixture to be used as the grouting agent.
The admixture of the powder and liquid components develops a quick setting material. As such, preparation of the cement usually occurs directly within the operating area just prior to use. In particular, a bone cement mixing apparatus is generally utilized to mix the powder and liquid components in the operating area. The resultant admixture is then removed from the mixing apparatus and placed in a cement delivery apparatus for subsequent use by the surgeon. Specifically, the bone cement must generally first be scooped or otherwise removed from the mixing apparatus and thereafter placed in a syringe-type delivery apparatus for use by the surgeon.
The aforedescribed system for mixing and delivering bone cement has a number of drawbacks associated therewith. For example, monomer vapors are generated during the depositing of the monomer into the mixing apparatus and during the subsequent mixing of the monomer with the powder component of the bone cement. Such monomer vapors may be noxious and/or toxic. Because the bone cement is generally mixed in the operating room environment, it is important to prevent any monomer or its vapors from escaping the mixing apparatus. However, heretofore designed mixing apparatus have not included mechanisms for controlling the escape of such vapors.
Moreover, heretofore designed mixing apparatus have been plagued with problems relating to the incomplete mixing of the liquid component and the powder component. Specifically, the powder component and liquid component are often inadequately mixed during operation of heretofore designed systems. Such a problem is further compounded by the fact that heretofore designed mixing vessels are not transparent thereby preventing the contents of the vessel (i.e. the bone cement) from being viewed by the operator of the mixing apparatus.
In addition, the aforedescribed system also suffers from operational inefficiencies relating to the need to transfer the mixed bone cement from the mixing apparatus to the delivery apparatus. Specifically, the need to remove the mixed bone cement from one device (i.e. the mixing apparatus) and place it in a second device (i.e. the delivery device) creates an extra step in the process thereby increasing the time necessary to deliver the mixed bone cement. Moreover, a quantity of the bone cement is lost in the process since it is highly unlikely that all of the mixed cement is actually removed from the mixing apparatus and placed in the delivery apparatus.
What is needed therefore is an apparatus and method for mixing a bone cement which overcomes one or more of the above-mentioned drawbacks. What is particularly needed is an apparatus and method for mixing bone cement which reduces, if not eliminates, exposure to vapors from the liquid bone cement component within the operating area. What is further needed is an apparatus and method for mixing bone cement which may also be utilized to delivery the mixed bone cement. What is moreover needed is an apparatus and method for mixing bone cement which reduces, or even eliminates, the occasions in which a portion of the powder cement component is not thoroughly mixed with the liquid cement component.
In accordance with the concepts of the present invention, there is provided a bone cement mixing apparatus. The bone cement mixing apparatus includes a handle, and a canister defining a mixing chamber. The bone cement mixing apparatus further includes a mixing blade which is caused to rotate in response to movement of the handle, the mixing blade being positioned within the mixing chamber. The mixing blade includes a shaft and at least one vane supported by the shaft. Also, the shaft has defined therein (i) an inlet orifice, (ii) a plurality of outlet orifices, and (iii) a passageway which places the inlet orifice in fluid communication with each of the plurality of outlet orifices.
Pursuant to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of mixing bone cement. The method includes the step of (i) placing a powder bone cement component within a canister, (ii) sealing the canister after the placing step, (iii) advancing a liquid bone cement component through a mixing blade located within the canister after the sealing step, and (iv) rotating the mixing blade after the liquid bone cement component is advanced through the mixing blade. The mixing blade includes (i) an inlet orifice, (ii) a plurality of outlet orifices, and (iii) a passageway which places the inlet orifice in fluid communication with each of the plurality of outlet orifices. In addition, the advancing step includes the step of advancing the liquid bone cement component (i) into the mixing blade through the inlet orifice, (ii) through the passageway, and (iii) out of the mixing blade through the plurality of outlet orifices.
Yet according to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a bone cement mixing apparatus. The bone cement mixing apparatus includes a container defining a mixing chamber. Further, the bone cement mixing apparatus includes a mixing blade positioned within the mixing chamber, the mixing blade defining (i) an inlet orifice, (ii) a plurality of outlet orifices, and (iii) a passageway which places the inlet orifice in fluid communication with each of the plurality of outlet orifices.
Yet according to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a bone cement mixing apparatus which includes a handle. The bone cement mixing apparatus further includes a first canister segment defining a first mixing chamber portion, and a second canister segment defining a second mixing chamber portion. Also, the bone cement mixing apparatus includes a mixing blade which is caused to rotate in response to movement of the handle. The mixing blade is located within both the first mixing chamber portion and the second mixing chamber portion. Moreover, the first canister segment includes a first coupling, and the second canister segment includes a second coupling. The first coupling cooperates with the second coupling so as to secure the first canister segment to the second canister segment.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful apparatus for mixing bone cement.
It is moreover an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for mixing bone cement.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and useful method for mixing bone cement.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for mixing bone cement.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for mixing bone cement which reduces, if not eliminates, exposure to vapors from the liquid bone cement component within the operating area.
It is moreover an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for mixing bone cement which may also be utilized to delivery the mixed bone cement.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for mixing bone cement which reduces, or even eliminates, the occasions in which a portion of the powder cement component is not thoroughly mixed with the liquid cement component.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the attached drawings.